About 100 British imams issued an appeal for UK Muslims to support those affected by the crisis in Syria and Iraq “from the UK in a safe and responsible way,” not by traveling to the region. A news report claimed that in 2012, the UK military was considering plans to train and equip a 100,000-strong rebel army in Syria but the plans were abandoned as too risky. A British jihadist named Abu Osama who claimed to be fighting with the Al Nusrah Front in Syria said he would not return to the UK until “the black flag of Islam” is waving over Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.
